


The End of Suffering

by NanakiBH



Category: Final Fantasy Type-0
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Normal High School, Canon Compliant, Developing Relationship, Dorks in Love, Flirting, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Music, Past Lives, Pining, Post-Canon, Romance, Secret Identity, Slice of Life, Stalking, Touch-Starved, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:33:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25634368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NanakiBH/pseuds/NanakiBH
Summary: The sound of music surrounded Akademeia like a healing embrace.
Relationships: Jack/Lean Joker (Final Fantasy Type-0)
Kudos: 4





	The End of Suffering

**Author's Note:**

> Man, I don't know what's going on in Kingdom Hearts anymore. All I know is that Mr. Nomura accidentally made me ship these two. I'm fully committed to Type-0 now. I'm gonna give Jack and Joker everything they ever wanted!! *showers them with all the love the game never gave them*

The cherry blossom trees were in bloom.

In his millions of years, Lean had never seen Akademeia look that way. Although still a military academy, there was no more magic, and the students were hardly focused on their military training.

The girls who passed him at the entrance were chatting animatedly about gossip and the things they planned to do after school. There were students dutifully working on homework around the fountain. For the first time in for as long as he could remember, Akademeia actually looked like a regular school.

There were smiles.

There was happiness – so much of it, he wondered if it was all just a dream.

How could it be real? He recalled the end of the world. The same as always, the world had ended. Even though the war had ended, that wasn't enough to prevent the world from succumbing to darkness in the absence of the Crystals. The world started over once again, but the Crystals did not return. When he and Tiz called for Mother, she didn't answer. The world became what it might have possibly always become in the absence of the two who used it as the board for their eternal game.

The world was not without war, but the wars which existed were not fought over the world itself. That might've been what made it all feel like a dream. Lean felt like he was waiting for something – a war which would engulf the world and sink it back into inevitable darkness.

But there he was, standing in front of an Akademeia which looked entirely unfamiliar to him. There didn't appear to be even a hint of war upon the horizon. The skies were clear and the students were laughing. They weren't on guard. They weren't bracing themselves and becoming prepared to face their own deaths.

“Um, excuse me... Are you okay?”

Lean looked down to the source of the timid voice.

“Deuce, come on, they're waiting for us!” Cater said, tugging on the small girl's wrist.

“Oh dear, he looks like he's about to cry...” As soon as the words left her mouth, Queen politely bowed her head. “My apologies. I didn't mean- That is, I-... I haven't seen you around here before. You simply looked lost. Do you need help finding your way?”

Did he really look that emotional?

Well, to be honest... Yeah.

He felt that way.

Their experiment was a failure. They never found Etro's Gate. But, maybe that was fine. He'd learned so much about the world during his time in Mother's service. He thought for sure that the world was always doomed to repeat what was written in the Nameless Tome, guided by the cruel hearts of humans, but it seemed like humans were actually capable of making a better world, after all.

The world would probably one day return to darkness...

But, standing there, smelling the scent of the cherry blossoms, feeling the soft spring breeze, seeing those girls simply acting like regular teenagers... It felt like that dark future was much farther away than ever before.

Lean hastily reached up and removed his glasses, turning away for a moment to rub his eyes. It was annoying that his first new impression with them had to make him look so uncool...

“Don't worry about it,” he said. He had to clear his throat once. “I know where I'm going. I'm just new. Tomorrow's my first day.”

Deuce's face lit up. Her smile had always been bright, but it seemed stronger than ever before. “A transfer student! That's delightful. Do you know what class you're in?”

Cater grumbled. “Seriously? Are we gonna sit here and have a whole conversation?”

Lean ignored Cater's grousing. “I'm going to be in Class Zero. I don't have my uniform yet, but I recognize yours. Pleasure to meet you. I'm Lean.” He hesitated for a second, unsure of whether he should use his real, original last name. He quickly came to the decision that he didn't have to. That name hadn't been his name for a long time. For the first time since the very beginning, he was one of them again. “You can just call me Joker, if you like. Whatever suits you.”

Cater's jaw nearly hit the ground. “No way, you're kidding! This random guy's going to be part of our class?”

“ _Cater_ ,” Queen tersely admonished under her breath, glaring at Cater from the corners of her eyes. “Where is your respect? That's no way to speak to a new classmate.” She looked back up at Lean, putting on a smile which seemed somewhat forced. “I, for one, welcome an exciting new addition to our little class.”

“Exciting?” Lean echoed, letting out a laugh. “Heh. Sure, why not? I'm sure things will be different with me around.”

At his intentionally vague words, Queen looked a little troubled.

Someone had been quiet. He looked back down and noticed that Deuce was watching him with a somewhat serious expression. Although the world was no longer bound by the word of the Nameless Tome, they were still the individuals who had been predicted by its pages. Deuce was a kind girl, always troubling herself with the feelings of other people. At the first hint of mischief in his voice, she automatically became wary of his intentions, as if she would need to _do something_ about him.

“Don't worry,” he said, smiling as he looked down at her. “I'm not a bad guy. Just a troublemaker.”

Although relieved for an instant, her expression immediately changed to reflect how perplexed she was by his honesty.

She could be cute, he thought. He was going to keep an eye on her, though. For a very long time, there had been something he'd wanted, but his circumstances always held him back and forced him to restrain himself. He feared that she would try to get in the way. As long as she didn't try to put herself in the middle of his business, there wouldn't be any problems. In fact, he may have even enjoyed the thought of spending more time with her.

He pushed up his glasses.

“Pardon me, ladies. It sounded like you had somewhere you needed to be. I must also be on my way.” He offered them a small salute with two fingers. “See ya soon.”

As he was walking away, he heard Deuce's timid voice bravely rise up.

“S... See you soon!”

The determination in her voice seemed to say that she was going to accept whatever challenge his presence brought to the class. He could tell – she was going to become his friend whether he liked it or not.

He laughed and waved back over his shoulder as he continued toward the entrance.

Just inside the grand hall, he found the person he was looking for; the one thing he'd wanted since the beginning.

Before he formally enrolled, Lean went on a tour of the school and took that as his opportunity to see what had become of Class Zero. Without the war, they weren't very different from how they usually were. Although magic no longer existed, the studious ones still had other things to study. The ones who prided themselves on their strength were channeling that strength into sports clubs and other physical activities.

That just left Jack.

He'd never really excelled at anything besides killing. He may not have liked it, but he was good at it. In a way, he was the one who had taken after Mother the most. Taking human lives didn't seem to bother him. It was just a necessity, so he eliminated his hesitation.

His path had always been the bloodiest.

There was no rage or hatred, no enjoyment. It was solemn and sad.

Every now and again, due to his sheer strength, Jack had survived to become the last living person in the world. Without the others, Jack had no reason to smile, but he also had no reason to kill, so when he grew tired of killing the Rursus all by himself, he always went quietly, alone and empty.

Lean wanted to know what would become of him in a world that didn't require him to stain his hands with blood.

Who was he, really? He wanted to know.

As it turned out, he was still lazy. He still tricked other students into doing his work for him. He still laughed at awkward times and made inappropriate jokes.

The world wasn't starved for smiles anymore, so he didn't have to keep pretending. No one needed him to be the light in the darkness, so he didn't have to smile when he didn't feel like it. For the first time, his smiles seemed to come naturally. His friends didn't seem to understand how valuable his happiness really was and how rare it had been.

The new world saw him become a musician. At first, Lean couldn't find the correlation. He couldn't recall Jack having any particular interest in music, but then he remembered.

Deuce was important to Jack. To him, she represented the type of world they found themselves in now; a brighter world where people tried to understand each other, where kindness fought to protect the future from war. As long as the world didn't forget about kindness like it had before, there was a chance that war would never reign again; there would always be those who chose to oppose the existence of war itself.

Although Lean had wanted to believe that Jack could've changed the world with just his strength alone – if only he could've kept trying, just a little more, just a little farther – there came a time when he eventually had to acknowledge that strength wasn't enough. Jack knew that, and it hadn't taken him millions of years to accept it. His sword would have never been able to achieve a world of peace.

That was why they kept failing.

But it wasn't Class Zero's failure. It was his and Mother's. He didn't think that Tiz could be blamed, either. She sincerely wanted to see them save the world. But that had never been the real goal...

He wanted to see them evolve. And they had. Only, they didn't become Agito, the messiah who would reveal the way to Etro's Gate.

They became better human beings. In the end, they were able to finally follow their own hearts to break away from the path destiny had always chosen for them.

It hurt to watch, though. No matter which path they went down, it seemed like they were never allowed to see the future they chose.

“I should stop thinking,” Lean muttered to himself, “or else I'm going to wake up.”

Jack was as skilled as a musician as he was as a swordsman. On his tour, Lean had stood outside of the music room where no one could see him, and he'd listened to the sound of a piano as Jack played alone. His playing was exceptional. Lean wanted to hear more and to see what kind of face he made when he played such somber and beautiful melodies.

When he found him in the entrance, Jack was carrying a guitar bag over his shoulder. That made two instruments so far.

The boy's clubmates were nowhere to be seen...

With a slight frown, Jack adjusted the bag on his shoulder as he walked through the grand hall to the west hallway. Before he could make it any farther, Lean picked up his feet and stepped in his path. Without lifting his head, gazing at his feet, Jack attempted to move around him, but Lean persistently stayed in his way, forcing Jack to look up to figure out who this rude, stubborn stranger was.

“Go out with me.”

Well, that certainly got rid of his frown. Jack's face slowly contorted into a look of abject perplexity. Lean couldn't help but laugh at how funny he looked, and once he was laughing, Jack was suddenly laughing, too.

“What is this, an anime?” he said, straightening himself up with a smile. His eyes roamed over Lean's body from head to toe, taking in his Milites attire. “No way, don't tell me... You're even a transfer student? Are you trying to be cliché on purpose? Wait-... Are you _really_ asking me out?”

Lean nodded. “I wanted to make an impression.”

Jack's smile faltered and his eyes nervously darted to the side. “Uh, no offense, but... _Who are you?_ ”

“Lean. Or Joker. Whatever you like. I'll be joining your class tomorrow.”

He could tell that he really threw him off. He knew that he would. Randomly being asked out by a stranger wasn't an every day occurrence for most people. Although he was very familiar with Jack, he was aware that Jack had probably forgotten everything about him. Nevertheless, he was hoping that they could quickly come to know each other again. In the very beginning, even though they hadn't been able to spend much time together, they'd become fast friends. Even though their personalities were very different from each other, something made them work. Lean felt an instant connection with him, and it was something that had left an impression on him for millennia. He was hoping that he could leave a similar impression.

He hadn't been able to make the most of their time back then. He hadn't known that it would be so short. He hadn't known anything.

Even if that world also came to pass, Lean hoped that the next Jack would remember him...

“R-right... I'm-” Jack paused, his eyes slowly narrowing. “If you asked me out, then you probably already know who I am, huh?”

“Yes. My apologies. I promise, I'm not a stalker.”

Though, saying that definitely made him sound like a stalker. He kind of _was_ a stalker, wasn't he? He couldn't help it. It was his job.

Lean stepped back, allowing Jack some room to breathe.

“I was told to join a club, so I was surveying the academy's club rooms yesterday. When I reached the band room, I heard someone playing the piano, but... Ah... The music was so beautiful, I was too nervous to enter. I didn't want whoever was inside to stop playing.” He may have been twisting the truth a little, but his feelings were honest. “I asked someone about the band club, so... Yeah, that's how I found out about you. You _are_ Jack, right?”

For a moment, Jack just stood there with a dumb look on his face, his eyebrows raised, mouth agape.

When he realized that Lean was waiting, he closed his mouth and nodded. “Yeah. Y-yeah... That must've been me you heard.” His smile turned bashful as he rubbed the back of his neck. “You liked it so much, it made you want to ask me out? Seriously? You don't even know me, though... I'm not _that_ special.”

“I heard that you can play every instrument you touch. That's pretty special. You're very talented.”

“You sure know how to flatter a guy, I tell you what.” He lowered his hand from his neck and awkwardly linked his fingers together behind his back and shifted his weight from one foot to the other, back and forth. “Maybe I should just take the compliment, huh? I've never been asked out before~ Especially by a guy who looks like he's a thousand years out of my league.”

“ _Me?_ ” Lean exclaimed, feeling his face getting hot. On reflex, he pushed up his glasses and unintentionally reinforced his own mental image of himself as a total nerd. “Does that mean you'll actually go out with me? I didn't expect for this to be an instant success...”

“I guess it's your lucky day. I happen to be single and looking for love! I'll give you a shot, transfer student.”

“Wow. I got a boyfriend before I even joined a club. My experience at this school is off to a great start.”

“Wait, you didn't join a club yet?” Jack was suddenly attached to his arm, looking up at him with pleading puppydog eyes. “Heeeey, honey... Baby... Can I call you baby? Baby, how about you join the band club? I'm sure the other guys wouldn't mind. They flake on me all the time and leave me by my sexy lonesome... All alone in that big club room by myself...”

“Tragic.”

“It is! We have that club room to ourselves and they'd rather be out chasing girls? ...It's not like I don't understand, but they need to get their priorities straight and focus on me! Er-... I mean, the music. They gotta focus on the music! Pri-o-ri-ties!”

Exactly whose priorities were out of order...?

The band club hadn't actually been Lean's first choice, though he was considering it. He wanted to be as close to Jack as possible, for as long as possible, so it might've been a good idea. He didn't want to freak him out by acting too needy, though, especially right at the start. It was a tough choice...

Lean held his chin. “I was thinking of joining the science club. Not to brag, but I was at the top of my class. I figure the science club may need someone like me.”

Jack stared at him and limply removed his hands from his arm. “'Not to brag,' huh? That sounded a little like bragging to me...” But then his face suddenly lit up as if hit with a realization. “Wait, are you telling me I just nabbed a brainy boyfriend? A genius just fell into my lap from outta nowhere? Not to brag, but my grades are pretty miserable~ You know who could use your help?” With a huge, cheesy grin, he jabbed a thumb at his own chest. “This guy.”

Jack wasn't stupid, though. Lean knew that he was capable of learning everything the academy could teach him. He was just a selective learner. If something didn't capture his interest, he simply wouldn't bother with it – and there was nothing wrong with that. Jack used his brain economically.

“Sure, why not? I can help you,” Lean said, already knowing that he probably wouldn't be able to help him even if he tried. Jack's attention couldn't be tamed. He'd probably just end up doing his work for him. “If the club hours don't conflict with each other, I may be able to join both. Or perhaps I can just swing by the band room whenever I'm available.”

Jack looked happy. Genuinely.

Lean smiled, feeling happiness bubbling up warmly in his own chest.

“You're... actually a really nice guy, aren't you?” Jack said, tilting his head to look at him with a somewhat skeptical raised eyebrow. “Like... I dunno... I feel like this should be weird because it's all so sudden, but I feel really comfortable right now, like we're already friends or something.” He gasped and dramatically placed his hands over his heart. “Could this be... destiny?!”

“I know I felt that way,” Lean said.

His honesty seemed to stun Jack into silence.

Jack reached up and toyed with the strap of his guitar bag. “Wow... That's actually, like, really romantic... I still can't believe my music made you want to ask me out.” His gaze went to his shoes. “So... My dumbass personality hasn't made you regret your decision to talk to me yet, has it? Cuz if it has, like, I totally get it... I don't think I'm really what most people expect, so... Seriously, if you're actually feeling regret right now, then you don't have to be polite. Go ahead and let me down before I get my hopes up like an idiot...”

Lean wanted to obliterate any person who'd ever made Jack feel that way.

It wasn't right.

Confronted with the fact that someone was interested in him, Jack refused to believe that it was true. He was always fighting for other people's attention, always giving himself to other people, always receiving little in return... Maybe he thought that the little he received made all of his emotional labor worth it, but Lean knew that he deserved more.

He wanted to lift some of the weight off his shoulders.

“Jack.”

Awkwardly, hesitantly, Jack lifted his head and looked up at him.

“Can I hear you play again?”

For a second, Lean thought he saw a glimpse of Jack's true emotions; his fear, his longing, and all of his fragile, hesitant hope. He covered it all with one of his usual smiles.

“I'll play whatever you want. With whatever instrument.”

The real Jack was a passionate person.

He was a person who loved other people. Music was a way to bring people together.

He was trying. And on that day, he succeeded.

Lean never wanted to let him be alone again. He wanted Jack to know that there was someone who would always be there for him, watching him, believing in him... even when they couldn't be together, even if they were separated by time and space... Even if they eventually forgot everything and became new people, deep down in his soul, he wanted Jack to remember that one thing.

They went to the band room where Jack sat at the piano and played him another song.

Lean sat on top of a desk near the open window and listened contentedly while enjoying the caress of the gentle spring breeze against the back of his neck. It was a picture-perfect moment. Yeah – like something out of an anime, like Jack said. At any moment, Lean expected the image of Jack at the piano to blur into white and fade away like a scene on TV. But it stayed there. Jack's melody persisted and filled the room with its warm sound.

“What was that one called?” Lean asked when Jack's fingers lifted from the final note.

“Hm... I dunno yet. I'm not sure if it's finished. I think some parts still need ironing out.”

“You made it?”

Jack laughed and rubbed his nose. “Yep! A Jack original. You liked it?”

“I liked it a lot. I've never heard anything like it.” He was so used to seeing and hearing the same things over and over again in each cycle, everything got boring. A new song was... a new song. Something new was something incredible to him. Lean feared that his compliment sounded lukewarm and failed to properly convey his particular enjoyment.

Placing his hands on his thighs, Jack turned himself around on the bench to face him. His knees bobbed excitedly.

“So what instruments do you play?”

Lean went pale.

In all of his years, he'd never bothered picking up an instrument. He'd considered it many times, but it just seemed unnecessary, and he hadn't wanted Tiz and Mother to think that he was slacking. After all of that, with the experiment having reached an inconclusive end, he wished that he'd spent more time doing the unnecessary things he'd wanted to do. It bothered him that he couldn't even tell Jack that he knew how to play an instrument...

“None, actually...”

Jack's knees stopped bobbing and his smile faltered a little. “Oh... I probably should've asked you that earlier. It's gonna be hard to convince the guys to let you into the club if you can't already play something. It's not a class, so we're not here to teach you.”

“I-I know that,” Lean said, suddenly feeling desperate to convince him somehow. “I can sing, though. Probably.”

“Okay, that counts for something. Show me what you can do. Do you know _Colorful - Falling in Love_?” Jack slid off the piano bench and unzipped his bag. He rummaged inside and produced a leaf of sheet music which he turned over to Lean.

Lean glanced at the lyrics.

“What the heck is this?”

“Oh, do you not know how to read it...?”

That... wasn't the problem. The lyrics seemed kind of immature and frivolous, but he supposed it wasn't worth mentioning, especially if it was actually a song Jack enjoyed. So he just shook his head. “Nah, that ain't a problem. Just surprised that you'd wanna hear me sing this kind of thing.”

“Well, you better get used to it. Everybody at Akademeia loves that song right now!” He turned and headed to the storage area at the back of the room. “Hold on a sec. There's not much I can do on the piano for this one. I'll give you the bassline.”

He stuck his head into a closet.

His voice became muffled as half of his body disappeared inside.

“I know there's a bass in here somewheeere... Come on... Where is-... Ah! Found it!” He gave the neck a tug and a few loose cymbals came crashing out with it. “Whoops~”

What a mess. He was fun to watch.

Putting the bass strap over his head, he returned to where he left Lean. “Okay, now...” He was suddenly very close, leaning into Lean's space, pointing at part of the sheet music he'd handed him. “Right here. That's where I come in with the bass. In other words, that first line's gonna be a cappella. We can skip the first line if you want or I can count you off. I'm assuming you haven't heard this one before, so you wanna get the tempo right.”

Lean's head was already spinning, but it wasn't due to Jack's jargon. When he got that close to him, he could feel Jack's breath on his cheek...

He nodded to let him know that he understood, but he'd already forgotten everything Jack said. Something about starting from... another line?

“From the top, then?”

“Uh...”

Jack gave him a sympathetic smile. “Are you nervous?”

“Y-yeah... Something like that.”

“Getting nervous about singing in front of your boooyfriend, huh?” He laughed to himself – almost a squeal – and rocked back and forth on his heels. “Ahh~ I love how that sounds! We're, like, seriously a couple? I still can't believe I have a boyfriend! Could this day get any better?”

“Well, hopefully I won't ruin it with my singing.”

Jack clapped him on the shoulder. “You'll do fine! You're cute, so I won't judge you even if your voice cracks!”

That just made Lean feel like he had to impress him – and he hadn't even been worried about that before. When he first walked up to him, he felt totally confident in himself, but the nerd inside him was starting to jump out. Perhaps it was going to be for the best if he let himself look like an idiot in front of Jack... If they were really going to be together, it was going to be too hard to keep up the tough guy act forever.

He took a breath and Jack started to count off for him, tapping his fingers against the side of the bass. When he reached the count of four, Lean started to sing.

“ _Shiny mighty, everyday-_ ” He paused. Something sounded weird about that. “Is that too high?”

“Yeah, what are you doing?”

Jack wasn't making fun of him, but Lean did feel like he was being judged just a little... It didn't help that singing those lyrics made him feel stupid.

As soon as he realized that he may have hurt his feelings, Jack waved his hands apologetically, trying to brush it off. “It's fine! Just try again. Like this?” He sang the first part for him, pitching it a little lower. “I think that's where you need to be.”

As hard as it was for Lean to believe that anyone would like that song, Jack managed to sing it without laughing, so Lean assumed he wasn't secretly trying to play a prank on him with it. His expression was really earnest, like he was excited to hear him try it again.

Feeling more confident, wanting to sing the stupid song well for him, Lean stood up straight and waited for Jack's count to give it another shot.

“ _Shiny mighty, everyday... Kimi to fall in love..._ ”

He knew it was a success as soon as he saw the smile on Jack's face. Jack picked it up with the energetic bassline, humming the melody.

Lean almost missed his cue at the first verse, but he was on it, giving it more effort than he even thought he was capable of. He couldn't remember the last time he did anything like that. It made him feel like he was acting like a different person. But once he got started, it was easier than expected. He swayed with the rhythm and put feeling into each of the words.

Tiz never sang with him. They rarely did anything together that could be called 'fun.' They mostly just stayed near each other to keep each other company. Sometimes he found his work enjoyable, but it wasn't the same thing.

Fun...

He was having fun. Like a normal kid.

Had he ever been a kid?

“ _Tiny happy moments bloom, every smile will spark and shine..._ ”

That world was different from all the others.

Without the war, everyone seemed a little different. They were allowed to just be kids; their own real, true selves. So...

If he wasn't helping to build MA units for the Militesi army...

If he wasn't observing the battlefield for Mother...

Was that... who he could be if he was allowed to choose who he wanted to be?

He could be the type of guy who'd sing a silly pop song just to make his boyfriend happy?

“ _Everything will be alright if you keep me by your side... Colorful fall in love..._ ”

Jack finished with a flourish. Laughing happily, he bounced over to Lean with a hand in the air. Lean stared at it for a moment before he rejoined reality and realized that Jack was waiting for a high-five. Lean just couldn't believe that he'd actually managed to sing the whole thing without passing out from embarrassment.

With butterflies flapping about crazily in his stomach, he lifted his hand to give him that high-five.

“That was awesome, Lean! Did you hear yourself? You sounded so good!” The piece of music fell out of Lean's hands and fluttered to the floor when Jack suddenly grabbed his hands. “If the other guys could hear you, I bet they'd let you be our singer for sure! Then we'd be like a real band! Oh, y'see, cuz right now, it's just me – I'm usually on drums – and then there's Trey – he plays bass – and then there's King – he plays guitar. You know what they say about drummers, right? They may not get the spotlight, but they get all the sex!”

He was so excited, he was rambling.

“Is that really what they say?” Lean asked, laughing.

“If they don't, then they should! I can't wait to see the look on their faces when I tell them that I have a _real_ boyfriend! Those two are always going on group dates with girls from other classes, but I don't think either one of them has even gotten to first base. They're gonna lose it!”

A _real_ boyfriend, huh? Lean wanted to hear the lore behind that one. Did Jack have a body pillow he previously referred to as his boyfriend?

While he listened as Jack continued to ramble, he picked up the sheet of music and gently tucked it back into his bag for him. He hated messy people who didn't pick up after themselves, but Jack was an exception. For some reason, he didn't mind the thought of doing things for him. Maybe it was because Mother wasn't there anymore and he had no one to answer to for the first time in forever...

There were times when he and Tiz went millions of years without seeing Mother, but he was always used to feeling her presence. It hadn't quite sunken in yet that she was really gone... He didn't know where she was, and she'd left him there...

But, he didn't feel alone.

He had that warm classroom with the afternoon sun. He had Jack, who seemed to glow in its light.

“Hey, this isn't a dream, is it?” he asked as he gazed at Jack's face.

Jack stopped his yammering for a second and glanced up with a curious and amused look. “Ooh, an existential question? I'm pretty sure this is real life~”

Lean nodded slowly. His chest felt tight with conflicting, complicated feelings.

“If Mother and the Crystals are gone, then... This may be the last world I'll ever see...”

Maybe that world was the one and only chance humanity had left.

Were the gods still out there?

Was anyone watching them, or were they alone?

And what about him and Tiz?

Would it finally be their time...?

“Hmm? You say something?” Jack scooted closer and brushed up against his side.

“Just thinking,” he said softly, walking toward the window. He placed his hands on the sill and brushed his hair away from his glasses. “The days of our youth will fly by and be gone before you know it. We gotta make the most of the time we have.”

Jack groaned loudly and flailed about. “Uuuugh, don't say things like that! You sound like an old man.”

“Oh, right.” Lean chuckled, remembering something he heard once upon a time. “You don't ever wanna grow up, do you?”

“H-... How'd you know that?”

“If you were that opposed to what I was saying, it was a guess anyone could make,” he said, giving him a shrug. He looked to his side and took in Jack's cute, pouting face. “I wonder what you'll look like when you're fifty...”

He'd never had the pleasure of seeing any of them leave their teens. Every cycle, he had to wait millions of years just to experience that preciously short lifetime with them from the sidelines. He watched them grow and wither as quickly as flowers. In the span of a cycle, one human life at its fullest was still just a blink in eternity... But it was more than they'd ever been allowed before.

He wanted to hold him when they were both old men.

Jack was slow to respond. Many thoughts seemed to cross his face.

“You wanna be with me for that long?” he asked, sounding astonished and a little reluctant to believe that he'd understood him correctly. Trying to protect his heart in that way of his, he brushed it off with a laugh. “You're a weird guy... You wanna imagine me when I'm all old and wrinkly? Perish the thought! I'm never gonna grow old. I'm gonna stay young forever. Somehow!”

Lean fixed him with a serious look. “You better not plan on living fast and dying young like a rock star. I won't let that happen.”

“Th-... That's not what I...” He didn't sound so sure of what he meant, though. Life hadn't been very enjoyable before, so the thought of dying young may have had its appeal back then, but things were different. A part of him seemed to realize that. “S-sorry. I shouldn't say things like that, huh? My bad.”

“I'll look out for you, but I want you to look out for yourself, too, okay?”

Like a little child who was being scolded, Jack nodded timidly, lips tightly sealed.

Lean was glad that he had that talk with him sooner rather than later. He hated the thought of Jack having his fun and then exiting life as if nothing else mattered. Life was always hard – that went without saying – but Jack was never going to have to experience the same kind of grievous suffering he'd gone through in other lives. Lean knew suffering... He remembered every tear shed and every drop of blood spilled... So he was going to make sure that Jack never suffered like that again.

He'd never have to fight again. He wouldn't have to hold back his tears anymore, either.

He could smile, and he could cry if he wanted to.

It was okay.

After all, they were a couple, weren't they? It wasn't his job to look after all of them anymore, but he'd made it his duty to look after one of them.

He just hoped he didn't seem too imposing. He didn't want Jack to think that he was going to boss him around.

With a soft sigh, Jack returned to the piano and sat on the bench. He stared at the space between his feet for a moment before looking up at Lean. “Where'd you come from, anyway?” As soon as the words left his mouth, he shook his head. “I mean, I can tell you're from Milites. That's not what I mean. Just... You're cute, you like my music, you're smart, and you seem responsible, too... You're, like, my total opposite. Are you sure this isn't some kind of prank?”

“I don't think we're that different,” Lean said. He went to Jack and sat next to him on the bench. “You said you have clubmates, but I don't see them. As much as I'd like to say that I had friends, I...”

It was the first time he'd ever admitted it out loud. It was too hard to say the rest.

Although he may have thought of Class Zero as his friends, they weren't, really. When they were reborn, they forgot who he was, and then they never remembered. Even the Jack who was sitting beside him seemed to have no recollection of him.

Their meeting may not have been the work of destiny...

But he was there, together with Jack.

He was there because he wanted to be.

“I guess... that's why I'm really here. I got the feeling that we might've had something in common.”

The reason he always wanted to believe in Jack's ability to become Agito was because he wanted to believe in himself.

Was that it?

If Jack could become happy...

He could be happy, too.

After a moment, Jack nodded in understanding. “So, what you're saying is... You wanted to make friends here at your new school, but you liked my playing so much, you decided to skip straight to boyfriend. Smart. Cost-effective.”

Eh, close enough.

Lean didn't want to make Jack feel like he was moving too fast, but... “Since we're boyfriends 'n' all... Can I hug you? Or would that be weird right now?”

He should've known that he didn't even have to ask. Jack was always open to expressions of affection. As soon as he asked, Jack's arms were open wide.

Lean sunk into his arms and wrapped his own arms around Jack's waist. To hide the emotions on his face, he placed his chin on Jack's shoulder.

There were no words to describe the sense of comfort he felt at that moment. Knowing that it was the last cycle he'd probably ever experience, and being there in the arms of the person he'd always admired... It was impossible to stop the tears from coming, and it probably would've been impossible for him to explain to Jack why he was crying. Jack didn't have to know about everything that had happened in the multitudes of other worlds that came before. All that Lean wanted him to know was how grateful he was for that one, sincere moment with him.

Without words, Jack held him tightly, like he understood. He may not have carried a sword any longer, but his strong embrace felt like it was filled with enough kindness to hold back a whole world's sadness.

“I'm glad we met,” Jack said, probably the only words Lean had ever wanted to hear.

Lean would've loved to stay like that forever, but he knew that he'd have to get going eventually. Dragging his sleeve over his eyes, he reluctantly sat back, parting from Jack. Knowing that his eyes had to be red, he kept them lowered, staring at the small space between them on the piano bench.

“I'm in dorm room 302, so... Feel free to visit.”

“Oh, same floor!” Jack said cheerfully. It went without saying, though. Everyone in their class was on the same floor. “I'm 309. That's right around the corner from you, I think? If I'm not jamming here, you can find me jamming in my room! I... don't get invited out much... Eheh...”

Inviting him to his room probably wouldn't count as a change of scenery, but he got the feeling that Jack would have still been more than happy to join him wherever. If the other guys were going to ignore him, then Lean saw that as his opportunity to have Jack all to himself. He was already thinking about where they could go together and the things they could do...

The future...

They actually had a future?

They were seriously going to get older? Have a relationship? Like, theoretically, he could wake up next to Jack every morning and give him a kiss? Make breakfast for him? Go to work? He could come home and be greeted by the sound of Jack working on a new song? And then... Then they could have dinner and contentedly fall asleep next to each other at night?

He was definitely getting ahead of himself, but there was _so much to think about._

The things he wanted were actually really simple when it came down to it...

All he wanted to do was provide a stable life for Jack so he could do whatever he wanted.

“I wonder what Deuce is gonna think,” Jack mumbled, a nervous looking smile twitching at the corners of his lips.

Lean's shoulders jumped. He nearly forgot about her. “I think I may have met her outside. Uh... Small girl, right? Determined stare?”

He nodded. “Yep, that sure sounds like her! We've been friends since we were little, so we're really close. She's kind of judgmental of the people I hang out with, though – she doesn't think they treat me well or something. Anyway, uh. Just a heads-up. She might be suspicious of you for a while. She's like my mini guard dog.”

“I have an old friend who's in your class. You know Tiz, right?”

“Tiz...?”

Lean mentally backhanded himself. “Er-... That's what I call her. I mean Tohno. Tohno Mahoroha.”

“Ohhhh, Tohno!” Jack's face lit up as soon as he realized who he was talking about. “Yeah, she's in our class. I haven't talked to her much, though. She's kind of quiet.”

“Maybe we can all hang out.”

The thought of that seemed to make Jack extremely happy. “Yeah! I wonder if Tohno can play an instrument... Deuce can play the flute. Maybe we could all play together sometime! Ah~ I wanna hear the music we could make together~”

At last, satisfied that he'd successfully made a good first impression, Lean pushed himself up. “I'll let her know. I'm looking forward to it.”

Jack's smile was so bright.

“See you tomorrow, Lean~”

Returning his smile felt so easy. He wanted to kiss him so bad. But it could wait. They had time.

“I might see you tonight, remember? My room's right around the corner from yours.”

Jack gasped. “Oh my gosh, you're right...! I might get to see you when you come back to your room with wet hair...”

Lean laughed as he headed to the door. “Perv.”

He felt absolutely giddy as he left the music room. He had to wonder if that was also what it meant to feel like a kid. From the moment he stood up from the piano bench, he was already thinking about the next time when he'd see Jack.

“I didn't know you could sing, Lean.”

Lean nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard someone's soft voice right next to him in the hall. It was just Tiz, but his guard had been down and he hadn't expected anyone to be standing right there. It was immediately clear to him that she must've been spying on him while he was with Jack. Creeping around used to be her job, too, so she was just as good at stalking as he was... He should've expected her to pull something like that.

“How long have you been out here...?!”

“Long enough,” she said, her voice as soft and eerily emotionless as always. “Congratulations.”

“O-oh, uh... Thanks.” He crept away from the music room and put a hand on her shoulder to guide her away with him. He only continued talking once he was sure that they were far enough away where Jack wouldn't hear them. “How are you holding up? Are you doing alright?”

She looked down at her hands and flexed her fingers a little. “It's strange, but it feels like the years have left me. I feel... young. I might even be able to participate in physical activities... Like gym.”

“Are you sure? You feel well enough to handle something like that?”

“I'm keeping my hopes up,” she said, looking up at him with a faint smile. “I'm in the literature club. You're welcome to join us whenever you like. I'm sure there must be at least a few books in the Crystarium you haven't read yet.”

Tiz's specialty was magic, but if magic didn't exist anymore... Lean wondered if she felt lost without it. She must've taken refuge in turning the pages of regular, non-magic books. Nevertheless, she was still wearing her black hat for some reason, so she still looked like a mage. The other kids must've thought she was just a goth.

“We'll see,” Lean said. “I might have my hands full with my new boyfriend. You heard what we were talking about, right? I hope you can play an instrument. Don't let him down.”

“Sorry, I don't. I suppose I'd better get to work. What do you think I should play?”

She was gonna leave it up to him?

“Mhn... I dunno,” Lean muttered. “Violin? You look like the violin type to me.”

“Okay. I'll get started tonight.”

“For real?”

“Yes, of course. I don't want to let him down, either. And I want you to have fun, too. I also want to hear the music we'll make together.”

Even as his feet slowed, she continued to walk ahead of him with purpose in her step, presumably heading off to the Crystarium to find a book that would tell her how to play the violin or something. Lean watched her back, a smile slowly forming on his face.

He wasn't going to waste time thinking about the years he'd wasted, but he wasn't going to forget them, either. It was important to remember the past he regretted so that he'd never forget how important it was to live in the moment. What he told Jack was true... Their time was going to be over before they knew it. So that was why he planned on living to the fullest.

The world would never be perfect...

But he was going to do his part to make sure that they enjoyed their time there while it lasted.


End file.
